John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Halftime in soccer/football is a breaktime of up to 15 minutes to boost the energy of the players. They often take a shower and put on a new jersey and change the cleats and shin guards. It is a time to stretch, rest and massage their muscles before they get back into the field for the second half of the game. Research says that halftime breaks improve the performance of the players. It is a time to revisit their mistakes and reset their minds to make course corrections to win the game.
Symbolically the arrival of Jesus was halftime break for the world. The dirty garments of shame, selfishness and sin were replaced by the garment of righteousness of Jesus. The practice of blood sacrifice at the temple stopped as Jesus became the atonement sacrifice for our sins. He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:20). For the Jews, who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, the blood sacrifice stopped in 70AD when the temple was destroyed by the Romans. According to the Mosaic Law, animal sacrifices were to be made only at the altar in the temple in Jerusalem.
The cross was the altar where the ultimate sacrifice was made. For by one sacrifice He/(Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:14). It was through the cross of Christ that we have a fresh jersey of righteousness, holiness and forgiveness of sins. Christ through His blood has made way for us to course correct our lives to win the game. There can be no Christmas celebration without the fresh jersey of righteousness of Christ Jesus.
The birth of Jesus and the cross put to rest traditions, sacrifices and practices:
1. Cross: The cross is our dressing room where we wash away the dirt and muck of our sins and put on the fresh new clothing of salvation and righteousness. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10a).
2. Creed: The cross is our reconciliation room where the creed was rewritten by Christ Jesus. The way to holiness is not through good works but only through our faith in Jesus Christ. Generosity, rituals or sacrifices do not make us holy. Good work is only a result of the redeemed life.
3. Conclude: The cross was the end of blood sacrifice and the beginning of new life. The atonement through blood sacrifices stopped at the cross and the forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ commenced at the cross.
The birth of Jesus marks the halftime of the world. The cross is our dressing room where we are clothed with a fresh clean jersey with no stains of our silly past, bloodline curses or stupor.
Hebrews 10:18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Prayer: Jesus my Redeemer, thank you for your ultimate sacrifice to forgive my sins and to give me a new beginning with a clean jersey of righteousness. Amen.
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